We All Need Saving
by brightlightsbrighterdreams
Summary: What was it that made Sian Diamond want to become a teacher so much? Oneshot, based on Sian's life as a teenager, and how it affects her today. References to alcohol and sexual harrassment, so rated T to be on the safe side.


Sian Diamond often wondered exactly how she had got into teaching. She knew she liked the company of bright, chatty teenagers, knew she loved the feeling when she saw a list full of her class' brilliant exam results, and knew she enjoyed the idea of shaping young minds. But there was something underneath that niggled at her, a reason why she loved the job she had. But try as she might, she couldn't put her finger on it.

Early one morning, as her tall heels echoed along the corridor, she heard the unmistakeable noise of crying. Walking into the girls' toilets, she tentatively knocked on a cubicle door.

'Are you alright in there?' she called gently. 'It's Mrs Diamond.'

There was no reply, but Sian waited patiently. The girl was being sick, and sobbing, but Sian waited until the door creaked open. One of Sian's Year Eleven girls stood in the doorway, her face smudged with mascara and tears- she looked utterly distraught.

'Scout? What's happened?' she asked, moving towards the blonde teenager, catching a strong whiff of alcohol as she did.

'I- I...' the girl choked out. 'It was last night, Miss. I didn't mean it to happen.'

**Sian was drunk.**

**She was so drunk she couldn't hold her body up properly on her own, and an older man had his arms snaked tightly round her waist, keeping her upright and walking. **

**After the fifth tequila shot she'd been handed, and quickly washed down with yet another double vodka and coke, she was more drunk than she wanted to be, and definitely more drunk than she'd intended to be.**

**Sixteen and stunningly beautiful, Sian was a quiet girl who rarely stepped out of line. She did what was expected of her by both her parents and her teachers, and everyone knew her as the girl who was sickeningly good at everything. Straight A*s, captain of the netball team, the girl all the boys fancied... Sian had it all. **

**She hadn't meant the night to go like this. It had started well- a few casual drinks with a couple of older mates. She was dressed up, in a tight, sparkly bodycon dress that stood out on her flawless olive skin. She had just needed an escape- people didn't realise how stressful it was to have so much expectation heaped upon you. She was sick of being perfect, sick of being the girl who never got it wrong. Sick of the pressure to be a tiny size six. Sick of the expectation that her hair and makeup would be immaculate. Sick of her teachers wanting full mark History essays, and 100% on Maths papers. Sick of eating nothing but Feta cheese salads, and raw carrot and celery sticks. Sick of the 5:30am alarms that meant she had to get up for another early morning training session, or dance class. She was sick of it all.**

**Only, here she was, on a Thursday night, too drunk to stand up, being led from a grotty pub by a leery older man who hadn't stopped pinching her bum since he'd grabbed her half an hour ago. She tried to reach for her phone, but the man grabbed her hand and moved it so that it was resting on his bum. She felt uncomfortable being held so tightly- his beery breath was all she could smell, and his hot, rough hands felt dirty on her bottom. She knew she wanted to get away from him, but her alcohol-addled brain wouldn't transform her thoughts into words. **

**She noticed that they had stopped moving. He pushed her gently back into the wall of an alley, and she became aware of his callused hands moving more freely around her body. Before she knew it was happening, he'd lifted her shirt and was fumbling around. She tried to pull away but he was stronger and steadier on his feet. He pressed against her and slid his hand between her thighs. Even through her drunken haze, Sian shuddered. When he reached down to undo his zip, she frantically tried to tear herself away again, letting out a yelp of terror. **

**A sudden burst of light flooded the alley as the door to a Chinese restaurant opened, and a gaggle of women in their thirties spilled out, laughing and shouting. **

**'Shit,' he muttered. He let go of Sian quickly and ran. One of the women had realised what was happening, and had come running forwards. The sudden disappearance of the weight pressing Sian into the wall left her unsteady, and just as the woman got there, her legs folded beneath her. **

**'Darlin'?' the woman asked. 'Darlin' are you alright?'**

**Sian nodded, though tears were coursing down her cheeks. The cold night air and the terror of the situation were helping to sober her up, but she was still too drunk to get her words out, or hold her body rigid. By this point, the other women had neared. The girl heard a familiar voice, although she couldn't quite work out who it was.**

**'Sian? Oh my God, Sian, what on earth are you doing?' the voice asked.**

**Then a face loomed into view. It was Miss Fitzsimon, Sian's English teacher. Sian had always liked the woman, and although Sian knew it was unprofessional for teachers to have favourites, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was Miss Fitzsimon's. **

**The pretty, blonde teacher knelt down next to the girl, and slid a gentle arm behind her back, propping her upright again. She spent a few minutes letting the sixteen year old cling to her- she could feel Sian's fear through her trembling body. She turned to her friends. **

**'You lot go on. I'll sort Sian out. She's one of mine from school- a good girl. I'll catch you later.' she said. **

**As the clipping of their heels receded, Miss Fitzsimon helped Sian to stand, and wrapped a firm, but gentle arm around the girl's waist.**

**'I probably shouldn't do this, but we're going to get a taxi back to my house, just until you're sorted out and can tell me what's going on, alright, honey?' she said softly, as they made their way back down the alley. **

**Sian just nodded. Her teacher held her hand for the length of the taxi journey, rubbing her back and holding her hair when they had to pull over for the girl to be sick. Once they were back at her house, she sat her in the living room, arriving back with some fleecy pyjamas and a pint of water. **

**'We need to get you sobered up,' she explained as she handed it to the girl. **

**'Miss, I'm s-sorry,' Sian slurred as she began to drink the water.**

**Miss Fitzsimon just smiled. 'Hey. We've all been there, sweetheart.'**

**When Sian was sober enough to explain, the teacher listened. She listened to how 'a bit of fun' had quickly turned sour, and how Sian had been too drunk to get away. She listened to how Sian felt so pressured, she didn't know how to deal with it. She listened to how unhappy the girl was, and how asking for help wasn't in her vocabulary. **

**After Sian stopped speaking, Miss Fitzsimon gave her a long hug.**

**'Let's get you home, darling.' she said, helping the girl to her feet.**

**When the taxi pulled up outside Sian's house, the teacher clasped her hands, and made her look her in the eyes.**

**'Before anything else happens, you need to know that this ends here.'**

**Sian looked confused.**

**'I mean it. The barely eating, barely sleeping. Pushing yourself this hard. From now on, you do what you enjoy, and you come to me if things get too much. Alright?' the teacher carried on.**

**Sian smiled, for the first time in months.**

**'You know I'm always here. I don't ever want you to end up in a situation like this again. I care about you, Sian, and I'm only here to help.'**

**'Thanks, Miss.' Sian replied.**

As she tucked an arm around Scout's shivering shoulders and led her to her office, Sian recalled the days when she needed her teacher's care and support. She looked at Scout's large, blue, tear-filled eyes and remembered how scared she was that night. She knew she would never forget it, and she often though, with flashes of horror, about how badly it could have ended. Her teacher had managed to teach her a little about herself, and a lot about life, and Sian only hoped that she could do the same for Scout.

'Miss, I'm s-sorry,' Scout whispered, looking at the floor.

Sian smiled. 'Hey. We've all been there, sweetheart.' she replied.

And just like that, Sian knew why she'd become a teacher.


End file.
